


Last night, good night

by amamiya_toki



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Coup d'état, Execution, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-10 04:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11684148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amamiya_toki/pseuds/amamiya_toki
Summary: For the sake of a country, a rebellion was staged. For the people, the king had to be slain. For the sake of revenge, a young earl took up his sword. Even if it meant betraying the only person he ever loved.Originally Posted on tumblr on 16th July 2014.





	Last night, good night

**Author's Note:**

> This story was set in an AU, with Earl!Kai/Prince!Aichi. Also, it was my first time writing Gaillard, Neve and Serra, so I hope I got their characters right.
> 
> The title has no reference to the Vocaloid song of the same title. Rather, several lines of this story had been inspired by the song "O_Z", by Marginal#4's Rui and L from their third single Masquerade.

It was a lovely evening, with the spring breeze carried the smell of the freshly-bloomed flowers.

From the veranda upon which Aichi stood, it was a calming scent that could heal the soul and soothe one's nerves.

He could never comprehend the need to spend his time indoors when the weather outside was this wonderful. He was sick of having to attend party after party, ball after ball. He was aware that socializing was an important part of his duty; he is, after all, the only prince of this country and heir to the throne. However, he did not appreciate being surrounded by people. He wasn't like his little sister Emi, who was bright and sociable and enjoyed these gatherings.

There was only one reason why he would actually come to these events, and that was because he would get to meet a certain someone.

Tonight's event was a bit special. Instead of hosting a regular ball, it was decided that a masquerade would be held. It made Aichi feel a little more relieved, as he could move around without anyone knowing who he was. Ever since he had become of age, he would be surrounded or even chased down by the heads of the numerous noble families at every social gathering, desperate to introduce their daughters to him in hopes that he would take interest in one of them. Unfortunately for them, Aichi had no intention of getting close to them; their hopes and plans for their daughter to become queen was nothing but a pipe dream.

After all, Aichi already had someone he loved dearly. However, he kept this secret from everyone, including his parents; for this romance of his was something that many would consider as abnormal.

Aichi let out a sigh as he thought of that person. He took off the intricate blue mask held it in both hands. The evening sky had darkened; he could now see the countless number of stars that shone above. Also, it was the night of a full moon—the warm glow of the moonlight lit the night sky up much brighter than ever before. It was a truly breathtaking sight.

"Beautiful..."

"I could say the same thing... only that it would be about you."

The presence of another person surprised Aichi, but not as much as the voice of that person.

That deep, suave voice that was all too familiar to him.

Aichi turned around, and behind him was a man dressed in black and red. The upper half of his face was obscured by a matching crimson mask adorned with rubies and other ornaments, but he knew who this person was.

"K-Kai-kun..."

"I bid you a very good evening, your Highness." he got down on one knee with his head bowed with respect.

"Kai-kun, please raise your head and get up! There's no need for you to be so formal with me!"

"Yes, of course."

"Why are you here?"

"The moment I noticed you had gone missing, I decided to look for you."

"You were searching for me?"

"I didn't need to; I knew that I would be able to find you here." Kai took off his own mask and tucked it into the pocket of his coat. "After all, you consider this your sanctuary, don't you?"

"I won't go so far as to call it a sanctuary... I just feel at ease here, that's all."

"If you say so." Kai leaned against the balustrade, next to where Aichi was standing.

"Don't you have to be inside?"

"I could ask you the same thing. The presence of the prince, in any event, is much more important than that of an earl, don't you think?"

"That's a point... but you know that I don't like being involved in these events."

"It's not like I enjoy being in there, either."

"That puts us in the same position then," Kai smirked as he commented, to which Aichi stifled a chuckle. "Why don't you come closer?"

"I-Is that okay?"

"I don't see why not. There is no one here but the two of us." Kai did not wait for Aichi's reply; he leaned towards him and wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him closer to him.

"K-Kai-kun!"

"I said, we are alone here."

"Isn't this too sudden?"

"You say things like that every time, but the truth is that you do like being taken by surprise, don't you?"

"That's...!" Aichi's face flushed red, rivalling the shade of Kai's loosened cravat, a reaction that pleased the brunette.

"It's good to that you're honest." Kai cupped a gloved hand under Aichi's cheek to turn the latter's face towards him. Their lips were close, but not close enough to brush against the other's. "Would you like a little reward, my prince?"

"Yes... if you'd please."

The moment the prince uttered his words of approval, his still-parted lips were swiftly captured by the young noble's.

It was intended to be a simple kiss and nothing more. Yet when Kai felt Aichi's arms moving around his neck to hold onto him, which in some way also 'helped' to deepen the kiss, every last bit of the little self-control he ever had suddenly disappeared.

Switching their positions so that it was now Aichi that was leaning on the parapet, Kai presses his lips down a little more forcefully. Aichi's lips were always felt soft and tender on his own; he could even describe them as succulent. The light, sweet smell of jasmine and moringa—Aichi's scent, became overwhelming and even intoxicating; more so than the roses that bloomed in the garden below.

As much as Kai wanted to go further, his rational mind slapped him at the back of the head: this was definitely not the place to engage in that kind of activity. He broke the kiss slowly, separating their lips as they opened their eyes to gaze at each other.

Their faces were slightly flushed, Aichi's more so than Kai's.

"Looks like the little prince is rather greedy today, isn't he?" Kai teased, placing another quick peck onto Aichi's cheek.

"Well, that's because we haven't got the chance to meet for so long." Aichi pouted a little, moving his arms around Kai's waist so that they were in an embrace. "You've been so busy out of late and haven't been coming by as often as you used to. And you know I can't leave the palace as and when I wish."

"If you had summoned for me, I would have come."

"I didn't want to be a bother to you."

"You will never be a bother to me." Kai sighed, wondering how Aichi even came to that conclusion. "We've known each other since we were kids; you should know me better than that."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine; you don't need to apologize." he patted Aichi's back as a forgiving gesture. He glanced up at the night sky, and a thought came to him. "The night is still young. Shall we have a change in location? If we stay out here any longer we might be seen."

"I understand, but... where to?"

"My bedchamber."

"Eh?!"

"I've been invited to stay over as a guest. Don't worry; there won't be anyone returning to their quarters this early."

"I didn't hear of that..."

"It's meant to be a surprise. You did say that we haven't spent any time with each other, so while I am here we can make up for that lost time. Or would you prefer if we go to yours, then?"

"N-No! Kai-kun's is fine!"

"It's settled, then." Kai scooped Aichi up into his arms, placing a swift, light kiss to his ear before whispering huskily into it. "Won't you show me that sweet dream once again... Aichi?"

**xxx**

"Kai… kun…?" Aichi murmured as he opened his eyes, shortly after regaining consciousness.

It was dark and his vision was a bit fuzzy, but he could make out Kai's figure. He was standing slightly away from the bed, fixing his attire.

"Aichi, you're awake?" Kai sounded surprised but kept his voice down.

"Un…" Aichi tried to sit up, despite the stinging pain of his hips that made it difficult for him to move his lower half, with one hand pulling the sheets up to his chest to cover his naked body. "Kai-kun… are you going somewhere…?"

"I'm returning to the ballroom."

"I'll go with you…"

"No. You stay here and rest, Aichi. You can't move in your current state, can you?" Kai placed his hand on the back of Aichi's head, stroking his hair in a soothing manner. "You can relax and sleep for a while. I will rouse you later."

"At the very least… let me put my clothes on…"

"Very well. Would you allow me to help you?"

Aichi nodded his response.

Kai picked Aichi's shirt, pants and undergarments from where they lay on the rug along with his other clothes. He helped him to dress and tucked him in afterwards. By this time, the prince had already fallen back to sleep. Kai ran his hand along his beloved's face, stroking it gingerly.

Placing a kiss on his beloved's forehead, he said his farewells.

"Goodbye, Aichi. Thank you for allowing someone like me to see that wonderful dream one last time."

He retrieved his mask, which he had left in his coat pocket, and put it on.

As he left the room, he picked up Aichi's coat and draped it by the door. As he stepped out into the dark hall, he found the person he was expecting to see waiting outside his room.

"Yo, Kai. Took you long enough."

"Miwa." He spoke the person's name as a greeting. "I presume the preparations are complete?"

"All done! Ishida has it covered!"

"What about the queen and the princess?"

"Big sis and Kamui have just reported that they have just brought them to their quarters. They won't be waking up anytime soon, thanks to that special medicine."

"Good."

"And I presume you took care of the little prince?"

"Of course. Who do you take me for?"

"Hey there! There's no need for you to get offended. I was just asking. After all, he is your precious childhood friend and lover."

"Miwa." Kai's brows furrowed deeper, sending a wordless threat to his comrade.

"Right, I got it. I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Tell Ishida to be on standby. Tokura and Katsuragi as well. We will commence the mission at midnight."

"Righty-O!"

Kai's left hand held onto the scabbard of his sabre—his family heirloom, which was strapped on the left side of his hip.

Finally, after so many years of waiting, it was finally time. He has been waiting for this soon-approaching moment for so long, his heart was beating with anticipation and excitement.

For tonight he will finally exact his revenge on the man who took the lives of his parents right in front of his very eyes.

With his own two hands, he will kill the king of this country.

**xxx**

"So this is the person who led the coup d'état which resulted in the loss of numerous lives, including the king, and set the palace ablaze; the charismatic young earl, Kai Toshiki. Such a pity, he would really have made a wonderful knight."

"Hold your tongue, Gaillard. The very man you speak of is right in front of you."

"What difference would that make, Neve? Look at him: he's on his knees and chained to the wall. He's nothing but a lowly prisoner now. There's nothing he can do now, even if were to think of trying it would produce nothing but a futile effort. It makes one wonder, then, why they would assign two knights from the higher order to stand guard here." Gaillard chuckled in bland amusement, before deepening his brows and tone. "If only he didn't make such a foolish choice, he wouldn't have been reduced to such a pathetic state."

"I believe that he made the right choice, though."

"What?!"

"He sacrificed himself to save his comrades, despite knowing that it would result in his capture. It's was a truly bold and noble decision to make."

"Neve! Are you siding with this traitor?"

"Calm down, Gaillard; I meant no such thing."

"What is all this fuss about? You two are being unsightly."

"Serra!" Neve was slightly surprised, having not noticed his fellow knight's appearance. "And…"

"Your Majesty?!" The two got on their knees, bowing down to greet the person who would soon be crowned their new king and ruler.

At the guards' cry, Kai felt the muscles of his body twitch. He felt grateful for the position that he was forced into—since he was facing the ground, he didn't have to look up and see anybody's faces… especially that person's.

"Please raise your heads, the both of you."

"Yes, your Highness."

"What brings you down here to the dungeons, your Majesty?" Gaillard enquired, despite the answer being obvious.

"There is a matter I need to attend to, but it is nothing that is of your concern. All of you may take your leave now."

"Yes, your Highness." Serra and Neve complied with the order, but not Gaillard, who protested instead.

"But your Majesty, we cannot allow you to be left alone with such a heinous criminal! What if something were to happen to you?"

"I already said that it was none of your concern. Please step down, Gaillard-kun."

"Gaillard, leave it and let's go." Neve grabbed Gaillard's shoulder, nudging him towards the stone steps that lead above. "Please pardon him, your Highness. We shall be standing guard at the entrance upstairs; feel free to call us if you require our presence. We will take our leave now."

"That would be unnecessary; but thank you for offering, Neve-san."

After the three knights had left, the soon-to-be king was left alone with his prisoner. He placed his white-gloved hand on the metal lattice barrier of the cell, gazing at the figure of the captive.

Neither of them spoke nor moved for a while, but when it was time to break the silence it was Aichi who did, with just one word that conveyed everything that was on his mind.

"Why?"

"… I'm sorry."

"I don't want or need your apology!" he had been holding all his emotions in, but when he heard the hushed apology everything just burst out. "I don't want to hear how sorry you are; what's done is already done! Nothing can change that! All I want to hear from you is your explanation! Why… why did you… have to…"

Aichi drifted off midsentence as he held back a sob. He tried to calm himself down before he completely loses his self-control again, but it was difficult to. Tears of hurt started to pool in his eyes; they streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably as his grips on the metal bars tightened.

Kai did not look up; he could not bring himself to look at Aichi's face. Still, without looking, he knew exactly what kind of expression he wore.

His heart panged with guilt; it was never his intention to make his beloved Aichi feel this way. When he decided to avenge the death of his parents, he should have broken off all relations with him and put a considerable distance between the two of them. That was the right thing to do. It was because he could not bring himself to sever their bonds that resulted in this.

He was the one who caused Aichi to be in pain, yet there was nothing he could do to ease it.

How utterly pathetic of him.

"Don't just keep silent like you usually do… say something; anything…"

But what can he say, in this situation?

The only words he could utter now were those of an apology, but that would only make Aichi feel worse.

There are one or two other things that he could say as well, but neither of them was appropriate.

It hurt.

Having to be around Aichi after all that happened was painful; the thought that he had hurt Aichi was even more so.

However, it was Aichi and not him who was hurting even more. After all, his father was murdered, his home set ablaze, his country thrown into chaos… this was all caused by the person whom he considered his closest friend and dearly beloved lover, who had betrayed him.

"…!" Kai let out a sharp gasp in surprise when he felt a pair of warm, gloved hands cup his face. "Ai… chi?"

"Kai-kun, I'm not angry with you."

"… You should be; you have every right to."

"But I'm not. Rather than harbouring feelings of anger and hate… I only feel regret."

"Regret? For what?"

"For not noticing your pain and sadness, and also for not supporting you in the times that you need it the most. Kai-kun, I'm aware what you did was not for revenge alone; it was for the greater good of the people, isn't it?"

"No." Kai lied swiftly; he can't have Aichi know the truth. "Everything that I did was purely to get revenge for my parents' deaths. There was nothing but selfish intentions that led to what I did. I'm not as great as a man as you think I am."

"… Maybe you are right; you were never as great as the person I thought you were. You were better, much more than I could ever imagine." Aichi leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Kai's shoulders to embrace him. "You don't have to hide the truth from me, Kai-kun… and please, don't assume that I don't know anything either. I am well aware of what kind of person my father is—he may be king, but he is a terrible man who only does things for his selfish gain. He has caused the people whom he was supposed to protect to suffer and has put to death the people whom he deems have fulfilled their purpose. That… includes your parents as well."

"Aichi…"

"You have decided to shoulder the burden of ridding the kingdom of its tyrannical ruler all on your own… like you always do. Why didn't you tell me? Was it because you don't have trust in me? I love Kai-kun, and I want to be of use to you. I may not be physically strong like you are, but I want to help you! Is that too much to ask for?"

"You are mistaken, Aichi. It is because I love you that I don't want you to get involved."

"I understand… but still! If you have spoken to me about it, you wouldn't have landed up in this predicament!"

"You wouldn't have expected for this to happen, would you?"

"That's true… If only time would turn back…"

"Time would never turn back."

"But if we could turn time back, would we have been able to be happy?"

"… I don't know. But there's one thing that I know." Kai nuzzled his chin into Aichi's shoulder, as he could not return his embrace with his arms bound and chained behind him. "When I was with you, I was happy. I enjoyed and treasure the time we spent together. Isn't it the same for you, Aichi?"

"It is… I was also happy, Kai-kun…"

"Don't cry, Aichi; you are about to become king, aren't you? You can't cry over things as easily as you used to, you know? I… also won't be around to dry your tears or comfort you anymore."

"Don't put it that way..."

"It's the truth. Taking the life of the king is the highest form of treason and there is only one punishment for committing this crime: a public execution. I have already prepared myself for it. Have they decided when the big day will be?"

"Tomorrow morning... after sunrise..."

"... Is that so?"

Kai felt his shoulders droop when Aichi let go of him and took few steps back.

"I'm sorry." this time it was Aichi's turn to apologize.

"You did nothing wrong."

"I tried to stop this, but..."

"You shouldn't. I deserved this."

"But still...!"

"Your Highness, I don't mean to interrupt your personal moments," the knight who had escorted him, Serra, cleared his throat. "But I felt that I should remind you that it would soon be time for your coronation ceremony. We need to begin the preparations immediately."

"I understand." Aichi left the cell, closing the gate and locking it. "Good bye, Kai-kun."

Kai did not reply, but he finally lifted his head to watch Aichi's back as he left.

Words of farewell were usually words that signalled a beginning, or a promise to reunite. However, these were not words of promise, but they were genuine words of parting.

For this was the very last time that they would be able to meet one another ever again.

**xxx**

The very next day, it was still dark when Kai was forcefully roused from his sleep and led by the two knights to the city's central square, where his execution was to be held. Dawn was about to break when he arrived, yet there was already a huge crowd that had gathered there. He was forced down on his knees on the platform to be condemned and shamed by the spectators, but it was unusually silent.

To the people, they were about to witness the death of a hero, not a criminal.

Raising his eyes but not his head, Kai could see his beloved watching from a distance, seated high above the crowd along with some of the higher nobles who had survived the incident. The newly-crowned king wore an unreadable expression on his face, but it was nothing but a mask to hide his real emotions.

"Decapitation, huh." he scoffed, noticing the lack of tools or equipment typically used in executions. "So they are going to make this as quick and painless as they can, huh."

"You should count yourself lucky. It is only because of his Highness's... Aichi-kun's good graces that your trip to hell would be a quick one. Usually, you would have been hanged, drawn and quartered; a far more terrible and humiliating feat as compared to this, I'm sure."

"So you are my executioner, huh. To appoint an old friend to send me to the afterworld... is this also Aichi's way of showing me kindness?"

"Unfortunately, it was something I volunteered to do." Ren's ever-present smile did not fade, even as he held the wooden snath of his scythe in both hands and leant his weight onto it. "Kai, I honestly did not think you would be so stupid; you knew that your actions would result in this, yet you still went along with that. Are you that obsessed with death, or is little Toshiki-kun so desperate to be reunited with his parents?"

"Ren."

"Ah, my apologies; I've said too much."

"You don't sound the least bit apologetic."

"Look, Kai; isn't the sunrise just beautiful?"

Kai sighed at the quick change in topic, but Ren was right. It really was a beautiful sunrise.

Kai closed his eyes, allowing himself to be bathed in the light. As he felt the warmth permeate his skin, many things came to mind. They were all memories of the time he spent with his beloved; even the oldest memory was as vivid as if it had only been yesterday.

Was this feeling that people have described as seeing their life in front of their eyes just before they die?

Burning even more brightly than the morning sun as it rose over the horizon, Kai's memories and feelings overwhelmed him. He only allowed two tears to roll down one side of his cheek. One was of happiness; the other was of slight grief.

He opened his eyes and looked forward: the sun had completely risen.

It was time.

"Ren, I shall leave Aichi in your care." He lowered his head and posture, prepared to accept his fate.

"I understand. You can count on me. Well, then..." Ren raised the scythe high above his head. "Good night, Kai."

Closing his eyes, all Kai could hear was the sound of metal cutting through the air as the blade of the scythe came down.

And then, everything went dark and silent.

As if he had fallen into an eternal slumber, one that he could never wake up from.

**-END-**


End file.
